'Profound consequences' - councils oppose Heathrow expansion plans

Seven London councils have come together to mount opposition to the government’s blueprint for a proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Leaders of Wandsworth, Richmond, Kingston, Hillingdon, Southwark, Sutton and Windsor and Maidenhead councils said current plans to expand capacity at Heathrow do not do enough to protect residents from increased noise, pollution and congestion.

In a new letter to transport secretary Heidi Alexander, the council leaders said they do not accept a third runway “is either necessary or acceptable when the consequences for Londoners and neighbouring communities remain so profound and unresolved”.

The letter responds to the government’s proposed new framework to guide future planning decisions on Heathrow expansion, known as the draft Heathrow expansion national policy statement (HENPS), and continues the councils’ longstanding objections to building a third runway. The government’s consultation on the draft HENPS closed at 11.59pm on 1 September.

Heathrow Airport Limited, which owns the airport, is preparing proposals to build a new 3,500-metre northwest runway, which would require moving the M25. Once an application is submitted, the decision is expected to be taken in 2029.

Call for shift to rail with improved train links

The draft HENPS sets out four tests the proposed expansion would have to meet to go ahead: contributing to economic growth and meeting the UK's legally binding climate obligations, air quality requirements and noise commitments.

The council leaders said evidence provided for the expansion fails to meet these tests, as they called on the government to properly consider alternatives – including better use of existing airport capacity, improved train links and a shift from domestic flights to rail.

They said the proposals would expose more residents to aircraft noise, worsen pressure on air quality, increase pollution, require major infrastructure changes and place communities under new or intensified flight paths. Exact flight paths for the proposals have not yet been confirmed.

The letter said: “For many of our residents, the issue is not abstract national infrastructure policy. It is the daily reality of aircraft noise over homes, schools, parks and town centres, disturbed sleep from early morning and late-night flights, concern about pollution on already congested roads and the prospect that hard-won protections such as runway alternation and respite could be weakened or lost.”

Concerns that consultation process was not balanced

The leaders said the draft HENPS seems to begin from the assumption expansion should proceed, which raises concerns that residents have not been offered a balanced consultation process.

The letter added: “London and the South East needs cleaner air, quieter skies, reliable public transport, credible climate leadership and infrastructure decisions that command public confidence. Heathrow expansion would make those goals harder, not easier, to achieve.

“We therefore call on government to withdraw support for Heathrow expansion and to work with London and neighbouring boroughs, affected communities, environmental groups, transport bodies and business representatives on a more sustainable aviation and connectivity strategy for the capital and the country.”

The letter was signed by council leaders Gareth Roberts, Robert Morritt, Andreas Kirsch, Steve Tuckwell, James McAsh, Barry Lewis and Simon Werner.

However, Parmjit Dhanda, executive director of the Back Heathrow campaign, said the councils’ opposition was “not representative of the people who live there”.

“Over 100,000 local people are members of the Back Heathrow campaign," he said. "For many decades people have chosen to live near the airport, many benefitting from its jobs, trade and opportunities to travel.

“During that time they have seen air quality improve and noise reduce as aircraft became cleaner and quieter. They know that Heathrow has been full to capacity for decades and that a new runway is way overdue – for jobs and economic growth.”

Sky News found in 2025 that Back Heathrow is funded by Heathrow airport and headed by a former minister and member of Labour's policy forum. However, it does not disclose this funding on its communications.

The airport's support was first exposed when the third runway was under discussion in 2014. The group was accused of "astroturfing" and in 2016 had an advert banned for misleading claims.

Dhanda said: “Unfortunately some local politicians think they can harvest the benefits of Heathrow, but are too weak to make the common sense case for it.”

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We take our responsibility as a neighbour seriously and we are committed to engaging openly and constructively to understand the concerns local communities have.

"We have always been clear expansion can only go ahead if it meets legally binding targets on noise, air quality and carbon and we’ve already made significant progress in shrinking noise contours and incentivising airlines to operate the quietest and cleanest aircraft at Heathrow.

“Recent polling shows a majority of local people support expansion as they recognise the thousands of jobs and opportunities for local businesses the project will deliver. We invite our local councils to share their thoughts as part of our third expansion consultation, due to launch later on this year.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We are grateful to everyone who took the time to engage with the HENPS consultation, and have received responses from a wide range of stakeholders, communities, and interested parties. We will now carefully consider all responses before setting out next steps later this year.”

A vote is expected to be held in Parliament on the HENPS by the end of the year, if the government decides to move ahead with it following the consultation and further scrutiny.

Reporting by Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter, with additional reporting by Dorothy Stein.

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